April 1, 2024 - Drinking very well right now. Bell pepper notes along with tobacco, leather and wild cherry. Prob at peak
February 2, 2024 - Still powerful, well balanced, soft tannins, good fruit.
September 24, 2023 - So I bought a cellar; 11/12/2022-12/31/2030: Opened for cowboys v. cardinals at classic wine, based on the most recent review from Rebs in Chicago. That review was spot on. The aromas and flavors were described perfectly, and matched my experience.
This wine was in a fantastic spot. Still plenty of fruit, well integrated tannins. Still deep red in the glass, with only the slightest bricking. I did notice a slight metallic nose as it warmed, but was not distracting. My first Cinq Cepage and it did not disappoint. Still life for well stored bottles.
September 22, 2023 - Oh wow! This was a VERY pleasant surprise!
Color is still a beautiful ruby right up the edges.
The nose is a beautiful dried dark berries, a backbone of green bell peppers, eucalyptus, forest floor, spices, a cassis liquor with a long long finish
April 29, 2023 - Caberent Based Lunch (Schur House - Riverwoods IL): Small glass. VA kept getting in the way. Prob past its peak.
April 19, 2023 - Double decanted to clean the bottle. Moderate sediment. Beautiful aromas classic dark currant with some leftover vanilla ...RIPE. A complex cabernet from a good year. It drinks best in the first couple of hours. Energy diminishes a bit after that...
August 14, 2022 - Drinking very well. This is my 4th ‘99 in the last 7 years and it’s holding steady. Decanted an hour. Fair amount of sediment. No bricking. Dark fruit, cocoa and a hint of leather on the nose. Tannins are smooth but present, still a fair amount of fruit. Lasts another 5 years at least but why wait.
March 6, 2022 - Excellent aged Cabernet drinking well. Warm red currant and a decent finish....Reasonable balance and no hard edges!
January 7, 2022 - Still drinking well.
October 6, 2021 - This was a gift from Xmas 2002 from my daughter and son, so it had a special meaning for me. I had lost track of this wine, but found it a week ago, stood it up and opened it two nights ago. This is a very pleasant surprise, I have always enjoyed the Cinq Cepages and this one was no exception. Initial bordeaux nose of cedar notes, very quickly replaced by berry notes. Only a hint of orange on the rim. This got better and better as it breathed. The tannins are fine grained, mostly resolved but the fruit was more prominent after 24 and 48 hours. Brambly blackberry fruit, some plum still present and a sturdy tannin/acid backbone fully intergrated into the wine. Not a big flourishing finish, but delicious, weighty and smooth after airing. Still has some life and could be stored another 5 years but it is currently drinking very well.